Want to turn heads? Just back your Smart car straight to the curb like a motorcycle instead of parallel parking. Two can fit into an ordinary parking space. With a surprisingly roomy interior (for 2), Smart cars are expected to appeal to urbanites in San Francisco, Manhattan, and other congested cities along both coasts. The majority of smaller cars sold in the U. S. have been cheap, most are built in Korea.
Mini Cooper and Toyota Scion have shown there is a growing market for quality small cars. And ForTwo is diminutive. Weighing 1,800 pounds and powered by a 70 hp three-cylinder rear mounted engine, the Smarts reach a top speed of 90 m.p.h. after considerable coaxing. 2008 EPA fuel economy ratings are 33 city/40 highway. Performance is unimpressive: 0-60 mph in 12.8 seconds.
Penske Automotive Group, the second-largest dealer chain, has contracted to distribute the Smart and enlisted 73 dealers nationwide. Europeans have been driving Smarts for over ten years, during which time around 800,000 have been sold in 36 nations. The version set up for export to America will be made in France. Mr. Penske intends to sell a minimum of 30,000 ForTwos in 2008.European models recently received four out of five stars in Euro New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) tests.
The Smart is delivered in three affordable trim levels: base-level Pure, which at $11,590 lacks air conditioning and radio; Passion $13,590; and Passion Cabriolet convertible $16,590. And hey, it's hip. Smart already has the environmental brand image competitors try to buy with advertising. Tired of the color? Just unscrew the plastic body panels and replace with what ever hue is in. Will the market sustain Smart, which has never been profitable, after the new wears off? Yes, it's hip, it's fuel-efficient, and cost effective. But the "Smart" may not be the automotive shape of the future. Designers made compromises in order to meet safety standards: occupants ride high, at eye level with other traffic. The vertical posture distributes crash energy beneath the car. This creates a boxy large frontal area that hurts fuel efficiency.
Smart's very high drag coefficient of 0.38 causes fuel economy to fall in proportion to speed more quickly than other designs. While the ForTwo could be a start towards a spatially efficient America, the gas mileage is not significantly above Honda and Toyota 4-seat cars. With the 505 horsepower asphalt-ripping 2008 Chevy Corvette rated at 29 m.p.g. highway, 40 m.p.g. for a micro-car hardly qualifies as progress. In 1966 I bought a 1958 Morris Minor 1000 to drive to high school. It was initially designed in 1948. The Morris was hip, cheap, and fuel efficient.
That 60 year old design also went 40 miles on a gallon of gas.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ed_Sherbenou
At no charge to MBUSA and only half in jest, here are fifteen marketing reasons why the 2010 smart fortwo line-up sold in the USA is perfect for the elderly.
The polyacrylic fabric top on the smart fortwo passion cabriolet can be opened and closed while driving at any speed, making it perfect for forgetful elderly.
5. Exterior Size
As an elderly individual's vision deteriorates, it does not help to drive a boat of a car. The reason that you do not see the hood of a smart fortwo as its driver is because there essentially is no hood. This is perfect for the elderly.
Also, as elderly individuals "down-size" out of large homes with spacious two-car garages into tightly packed townhouses with narrow one-car garages, the smart fortwo makes increasing sense.
6. Cabin Size
The smart fortwo has a big-car feel and spaciousness inside, leaving plenty of room for canes and other paraphernalia of the elderly.
7. Storage Compartment
The smart fortwo has very little room for grocery bags or luggage, but the elderly do not eat as much and do not travel as far by car. Plus, the flip-up rear window and flip-down rear door make storage access easy.
8. Automatic Manual Transmission
The automatic transmission -- trademarked as "smartshift" -- is actually a manual transmission with a computer that tells the car when to shift through its five gears. Unfortunately, the computer program seems to be a replica of how a bad manual-transmission driver would shift a transmission. While most American drivers would be disappointed by the jerkiness of the shifts, these are perfect for keeping the elderly awake and attentive to their driving.
9. Two Seats
Youth like to go on road trips with lots of friends. The elderly tend to stay home and be pickier about their friends, so two seats are all they really need.
10. Gas Tank
Given that the smart fortwo requires premium gasoline, its 8.7-gallon fuel-tank capacity will not shock penny-pinching elderly individuals at each fill-up. Plus, the 1.3-gallon reserve portion of those 8.7 gallons gives them plenty of time to forget and remember that their smart fortwo is running on empty.
11. Acceleration
The smart fortwo takes a long 12.8 seconds to go from 0 to 60 MPH. This gives pedestrians and others several precious seconds to get out of the way of an oncoming elderly driver.
12. Fuel Consumption
Fuel economy ratings of 33 MPG city and 41 MPG highway are sure to appeal to the budget-conscious elderly.
13. Turning Circle
How many times have you seen an elderly driver struggle to turn around a car -- or even to back out of a parking space? The 28.7-foot turning circle of the smart fortwo almost crushes this problem.
14. Heated Seats
The elderly are much more sensitive to cold temperatures than the population at large, but heated seats -- described in the smart fortwo brochure as "one of the greatest automotive inventions ever" -- are standard in these cars.
15. Stand-out Looks
The smart fortwo will be a head-turner in the USA for years to come, ensuring that anyone who wants to know that an elderly driver is approaching will see the driver well in advance of when that driver will see him or her.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Kirk_Mahoney
